Aussie World

Palmview, Queensland, Australia

“Excellent family-oriented amusement park at Australia’s Sunshine Coast”

G’day mate! Austalia is known for its laid back culture, its nature and its livable cities. However, it isn’t the most logical choice as a roller coaster destination. Many people are familiar with Warner Bros Movie World and Dreamworld near Gold Coast, but those are the only two big parks this country has to offer. Luckily, small amusement parks shouldn’t necessarily be considered as bad amusement parks. That’s why we planned a trip to Sunshine Coast, approximately one hour north of Brisbane. This coastal region is home to Aussie World, a small but lovely amusement park.

ROLLER COASTERS

We like classic roller coasters, so a ride on Wild Mouse was our top priority at Aussie World. This was one of the few remaining wooden wild mouses. I had the privilege to ride Blackpool Pleasure Beach’s wooden wild mouse in 2007 and that was a crazy experience. That ride was intense and it featured some of the craziest airtime I ever felt. Aussie World’s version, however, turned out to be rather tame and considerably slower. Don’t get me wrong… I thoroughly enjoyed my ride on this wooden classic, but it wasn’t nearly as impressive as its British sister. And there’s even more bad news: Aussie World’s Wild Mouse closed only a few months after our visit in 2016.

The second coaster was everything but fabulous, but it was essential for our coaster bingo. Bug Run is a standard Big Apple built by Pinfari. This is really just a credit, but I have to admit that Bug Run looks better maintained than similar rides at many other parks.

ANYTHING ELSE?

Aussie World features a good collection of classic attractions such as a Waltzer, a Ferris wheel, a giant slide and a unique space-themed swinging ship. Theming at this park may be limited, but there’s one particular attraction with elaborate decoration: Professor Bogglesworth’s Illusionarium. This unique walkthrough consists of several optical illusions and maze-like elements. And although the park is mainly focused on children, this attraction really blew my mind. Biggest surprise of the day.

WORTH A VISIT?

Aussie World isn’t a must do destination, but we had a few pleasant hours in this cosy amusement park. It’s not worth a big detour; Sunshine Coast and Brisbane definitely have more interesting options if you’re searching for day trips. However, if Aussie World is on your route, it’s an ideal place to take a break. Eat a huge steak in the famous pub, get a quick coaster bingo and get amazed by the Illusionarium. And oh, I also remember Aussie World as a place where the bumper cars were briefly stopped because of a snake. Visiting amusement parks is risky business in Australia, mate.

PHOTO GALLERY

Have you been able to ride this classic Wild Mouse? And would you travel to Aussie World during a trip to Australia? Share your opinion in the comments section at the bottom of this page.